Russia Angered By Media "Attacks" On Arms Dealer
Bout, who is fighting extradition from Thailand to the U.S. on charges he trafficked weapons to conflict zones, has been prejudged by a series of articles in the Thai and foreign media, said a ministry spokesman, Andrei Nesterenko.
"In these articles our countryman, whose guilt hasn't been established in court, has already been proclaimed a criminal," Nesterenko told reporters.
"We consider such attacks clearly provocative and leading to the goal of moving Bout's case from the legal to the political realm, influencing the court proceedings and introducing new tensions in Russian-Thai, as well as Russian-U.S., relations."
Bout, who has been dubbed the "Merchant of Death", is fighting moves to extradite him over charges he supplied weapons to a variety of rebel groups and to Al-Qaeda.
He was arrested in a sting operation in Bangkok a year ago after allegedly agreeing to supply surface-to-air missiles to U.S. anti-drug agents posing as guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Bout denies all the charges, and earlier this week his wife testified that her husband was entirely innocent and ran a legitimate air cargo business.
The nickname "Merchant of Death" was coined by a former British foreign office minister and also used for a 2007 book on Bout's alleged activities.
A former Soviet air force officer, Bout was also reportedly the model for a character played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 Hollywood movie "Lord of War."
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Publié le 19 mars 2009 Copyright © 2009 Dowjones
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